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Pakistan to add firepower to bowling
Security
beefed up following bomb scare World page: Bomb found near US Consulate in Karachi Inzamam’s innings might have positive |
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Waqar predicts a ‘close’ series New Delhi, March 15 Former Pakistan captain Waqar Younis today said the ongoing Indo-Pak series will be “close” as both the teams are in good nick but the home bowlers should tighten up their line and length to show better results.
Karachi tie hits business hard
Cricket fan’s unique thanksgiving
SC dismisses plea on Tendulkar’s car Harmison scalps 7 as West Indies skittled out for 47
Mane, Kambli hit centuries Hockey coach admits weaknesses in team
Vintage veterans enthral, but the girls score a point The limbs may have aged, muscles sagged, hair greyed and reflexes slowed down, but their spirits are still high and willing, and no surprise, the hockey veterans of the vintage 1975 World Cup variety gave a close run to the Indian women’s team before bowing out by 4-5 in an exhibition match at the Shivaji Stadium here today. Lachman Singh wins races in sports
meet College athletics meet begins
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Pakistan to add firepower to bowling
Rawalpindi, March 15 “We did not have that sixth bowler in the first match, and that proved quite costly. We have to have the right balance in the team and we are looking into it,” he told reporters after the net session at Pindi Cricket Ground here. The much-hyped Pakistan bowling attack was thrashed all over the park by the Indian batsmen who went on to score 349 before pulling off a five-run victory in Karachi. Miandad said the team had discussed in detail the last match and the players were determined not to repeat the mistakes in the crucial game tomorrow. “Well, you can’t afford to repeat the same mistakes. The Indian batting is very good and we have to bowl very well against them”. The coach also defended captain Inzamam-ul-Haq’s decision to field first after winning the toss in Karachi. “It was a collective decision, and a good one. We very nearly won the match. Chasing a target of 350 was always going to be difficult, so it was a creditable batting display.” Asked whether Pakistan will again opt to field first if they won the toss, Miandad quipped, “I can’t say what we will do this time”. The coach said there were no fitness worries in the team and paceman Shabbir Ahmed had recovered from the hand injury which kept him out of the Karachi humdinger. On how disappointing it was for the team to lose the match after coming so close, he said, “you can’t hit the last ball for a six always. Moin tried his best and could not do it”. Miandad was referring to the 1986 one-day match in Sharjah when he lofted India’s Chetan Sharma for a six off the last ball to give his side a one-wicket victory. On the track at the Pindi Cricket Ground, he said “it looks a good track and there should be plenty of runs”. Miandad also rated Inzamam’s 104-ball 122 as the best knock he had seen from his blades and felt that had he stayed in the middle for a few more overs, the result of the match could have been different. “It was an amazing innings. I would rate it as the best that I have seen from him. I hope he keeps playing this way right through the series.” — PTI
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Dravid defends his bowlers
Rawalpindi, March 15 “Bowling is an area of concern and we are working on it. Ours’ is a rather inexperienced bowling attack and I am sure they will learn from their mistakes,” Dravid told reporters ahead of the second match of the one-day series against Pakistan here tomorrow. “Not many of our bowlers have played too many one day internationals, so obviously they lack a bit of experience.” He said giving some leeway to his bowlers, playing on tracks which have nothing for them. Asked whether the failure of the bowlers put additional pressure on the batsmen, he said: “Not exactly. On some days we get 350, but when we do not get that total, we hope the bowlers will do the job for us with the ball.” Dravid also downplayed suggestions that left-arm spinner Murali Kartik, who picked two wickets while giving away 75 runs, had
performed below par. “Bowling is an area where we can improve. We know what Kartik is capable of. He has done well for us in the past and I am sure he will get back his rhythm.” The vice-captain was pleased with the display of the top order batsmen. “We have been batting well for the last two months. We had a good tour of Australia. Sachin (Tendulkar) and (Virender) Sehwag have given us good starts and we have capitalised on them,” he said.
— PTI |
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Security
beefed up following bomb scare Rawalpindi:
Security has been beefed up in and around the Pindi cricket stadium,
the venue for tomorrow’s second one-day match between India and
Pakistan, in view of the bomb scare in Karachi. Fool-proof security arrangements have been made for the day-night encounter between the traditional rivals and the police are in a state of alert in view of the incident in Karachi. Police today defused a 750-litre liquid bomb kept in a van parked outside the US consulate in Karachi, barely two days after the opening match of the one-day series was held there. Vehicular traffic on the approach road to the Pindi Stadium had been blocked and only the vehicles carrying the parking sticker issued by Pakistan board were allowed to enter the stadium.
— PTI
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Inzamam’s innings might have positive effect on Pak Everybody was worried that the team losing at Karachi would not be able to overcome the psychological setback of being one down. However, the opposite could just happen in the case of Pakistan. Their fightback after conceding 349 runs was so tremendous, that they could just go into tomorrow’s game feeling inspired and knowing that a little more effort and fine-tuning will get them positive results. Inzamam’s heroic innings might just have the effect that a similar knock by Steve Waugh had on the Australian camp early in the World Cup in 1999. The Australians were chasing a stiff target set by Pakistan, and against a really good bowling attack, Waugh almost took his team to victory. The sheer heroism of that knock propelled the team to greater heights, and they did not lose a single game after that. I had spoken about the impact a good innings from the captain can have on a team, and Inzamam’s innings might just inspire his batsmen for the coming games. Had Pakistan lost by a big margin, the scars of this match would have been hard to erase, but by achieving a world record while chasing a mammoth total, they might just have got the push they needed. Till now Pakistan was worried about their batting, but after this performance they know that it’s only a question of their bowlers getting their act together, and proven performers like Shoaib and Sami can’t fail for too long. The problem with Pakistan’s opening bowlers on Saturday was that they looked short on match practice. It was obvious that they had come straight from a conditioning camp to a big game, hence the problems with over-stepping and line. Sourav Ganguly, on the other hand, has huge problems in the bowling department. Zaheer Khan is getting better with every outing, but the rest are seriously lacking in penetration. This was the second straight game that the bowlers conceded 330-plus while defending a huge total. Ashish Nehra bowled a really good last over - perhaps his best in the game – and that’s what got India home. With the bowlers struggling in these conditions, I think it will be disastrous if India persist with just four bowlers. They must include Irfan Pathan in their plans because he will not give away more runs than the part-time bowlers who are filling in for the fifth bowlers right now. Bowling is a tough job in the subcontinent after February, and while Shoaib, Sami and Shabbir have pace to help them, medium pacers will really struggle in these unhelpful conditions. And as for part-timers, they will be easy meat for any batsman at this level. Looking beyond the one-day series, India’s bowling problems do not augur well for the Tests either because this attack does not look capable of taking 20 wickets. If the Pakistan batting was superb, India were even better, because when they batted, they made some really good bowling look ordinary. One would not have guessed that some balls were coming at 95 miles an hour if one saw the Indians batting. This was the first glimpse Pakistan got of Virender Sehwag, and they would want to see more of him in the coming games. He seems to have minimum technique but compensates for that with his brilliant eye and his ability to hit the ball hard. This ensures that even if he is at the crease for a short period of time, he can really demolish an attack. The Indians should never have been allowed to bat first in Karachi, and hopefully Pakistan will not make such errors in judgment in the coming games. Every pace bowler knows that the ball reverses in the afternoon, so Shoaib and Sami would have benefited from bowling second. The first day night game is tomorrow, and it remains to be seen whether dew is a factor in the three day-night games. If there is no dew, batting first will once again be a huge advantage.
(Gameplan) |
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Waqar predicts a ‘close’ series
New Delhi, March 15 He also favoured longer terms for Pakistan captains like it is in India and Australia. Predicting on the on-going Indo-Pak series, Waqar told PTI: “It is going to be a very close series. The one-dayers will be very tight games as both the teams are in very good nick and it can go either way. “However, our bowlers should tighten up their line and length as they gave away too much of width for the Indian batsmen to play their shots in Karachi and once the opposition put on 340 plus runs on the board it was always difficult for Pakistan to chase the target,” he said. On longer terms for Pakistani captain, he said: “I feel the Pakistan Cricket Board should give at least three-year terms to the captains as they can settle down and knit the team to get good results,” the 34-year-old fast bowler said. The fast bowler, who is here as an expert commentator for Sahara TV, cited the examples of Cricket Australia and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) who have given long terms for their captains to attain success. “Ricky Ponting and Sourav Ganguly are showing good results after being allowed at the helm for a long period. The PCB too should follow this example and give Inzamam-ul-Haq at least three-years (to prove himself),” he said. “Previously the captains and the players in Pakistan were changed quite frequently and hence the team suffered,” said Waqar, who himself was in charge for a brief period before being sacked after Pakistan’s abysmal performance in last year’s World Cup. On the Karachi match, Waqar said: “Credit should be given to both Inzamam and Yousuf Youhana for their magnificent fight back after we had lost two quick wickets. We lost in the end is a different matter but the way the boys fought back was a very good beginning to the series. “Though Pakistani batsmen played well, the bowlers have to create chances and cut down on the number of no balls and wides and start thinking positively before it is too late”, he added. Speaking about his own chances of making a come back into the national team, Waqar, said: “I have been playing club cricket but right now would like to sit back and relax. In fact when former Pakistan captains Imran Khan and Wasim Akram were invited by PCB to speak to the young bowlers at the camp before the home series started, I was busy playing for Warwickshire and for North Sydney club before going home to play a couple of domestic matches. “I will wait till the current home series is completed before making any future plans,” he said. Asked whether he would be interested to coach Pakistan’s young fast bowlers, Waqar said: “Of course, I would love to pass on my experience to youngsters. I feel it is my duty to help up and coming players by sharing my experience.” Waqar said Indian bowlers were a bit inexperienced for such high-voltage series. “India’s bowling is a bit inexperienced. Irfan Pathan and Laxmipathy Balaji are inexperienced at the moment and when the two Asian giants clash even the most experienced player will be under tremendous pressure to perform”. Waqar, however, praised Indian batting saying “The Indians have six top batsmen and three of them are among the top ten in the world so this clearly shows the strength in their batting”. Waqar felt that the Indians should have played a Test match at Karachi during the current series. “The one-day international went off smoothly and I don’t think playing a Test match would have been any different. May be the Indians will play a Test match when they visit Pakistan next time around,” he said. Asked to recall some cherished memories while playing against India, Waqar said: I have not played any full series against India. Though I have played against India during the World Cup. “The real test is when the two countries clash on either in India or in Pakistan. That is when the players have to sustain real pressure and so far, I have not experienced it,” he said. About his stint with Wasim Akram, Waqar said “It was a big help bowling with Akram from the other end as it brought the best from me. When you have competition within the team you strive to give 110 per cent which helps the team to give better results”.
— PTI |
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Notes from Pakistan When local hero Shoaib Akhtar marks his run-up at the Pindi Cricket Stadium for his 100th one-day international appearance on Tuesday, he would be hoping to make the day memorable for himself by grounding the high flying Indian batsmen and gifting his team a series-levelling win. The ‘Rawalpindi Express’ said he would put the celebrations aside of reaching an important milestone and focus on the job at hand: avenge his team’s defeat to India in the first one-dayer at Karachi. “It is an honour to reach a milestone but I will celebrate only if I can help my team win,” the 28-year-old speed demon told reporters here. India won a cliffhanger at Karachi although not without some hiccups to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. Shoaib let his displeasure known at losing that match despite getting close and appeared determined to make amends. “We gave away 38 extra runs which made the difference in the end.” *
Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif is one of the most friendly men one would come across in the international cricket circuit. The dapper wicketkeeper is humble, has an innocent smile and looks trim even today - especially in his tight, black jeans and a causal shirt. Latif, who also blew the whistle on match fixing a couple of years ago, drives an expensive white Honda car in Karachi, his home city, and looks generally happy with life. These days he is writing a book on match-fixing, which is expected to be out this year. So what else keeps Latif busy these days? “I am working with Indus television as an expert for this series,” Latif told IANS about India’s 38-day tour of Pakistan. *
Saurav Ganguly was allowed a cup of tea at the Pearl Continental hotel in Lahore only after a journalist tasted and declared it safe. And even though no official taster has been attached with the visiting side, the food for the Indian team is being examined by health officials. According to media reports, Sohail Khan, an SSP rank security officer of the Pakistan Interior Ministry, has confirmed that officials of the provincial health department and an intelligence unit were entrusted with this job of examining the food for the visitors. “What we have done is that at the hotel and at the grounds the health department officials and our security officers check all the ingredients being used for the preparation of food for the Indians before clearing them,’’ Khan was quoted as saying.
— Agencies |
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Karachi tie hits business hard Rawalpindi, March 15 “The business at Jodia Bazaar and Boultan Market, the country’s largest wholesale markets, lost 99 per cent of business as only 1 per cent turnover was witnessed in terms of value,” Mr Asif Rasheed, vice president, Boultan Market Traders Association was quoted as saying by the media. Mr Rasheed also criticised the government’s decision to declare a public holiday on Saturday, saying they were prepared to attract a large number of foreign customers, who were in the city to see the match. He said it was a golden chance for the city’s traders to introduce local products to foreigners, especially Indian customers, but “we could do no
business because it was a holiday.” — UNI |
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Cricket fan’s unique thanksgiving Palani, March 15 The fan, Subbiah, running a knitwear unit at Tiruppur, told reporters last evening that he had vowed that he would come to the temple and climb the 750 steps leading to the shrine backwards if the Indian team, playing a full-fledged series in Pakistan after 15 years, won the first one-dayer.
— PTI |
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SC dismisses plea on Tendulkar’s car New Delhi, March 15 A Bench, headed by Chief Justice V.N. Khare, dismissed
a public interest litigation (PIL) after the court was informed by
Attorney-General Soli J. Sorabjee that the duty was in fact paid by
Fiat India Ltd on behalf of Tendulkar. The court was hearing a
petition by the Centre seeking transfer of a PIL by V.M. Bhardwaj on
the issue to the apex court from the Bombay High Court as well as some
other petitions from the Delhi High Court to it for disposal after the
company had stepped in to pay the duty, which the Centre had earlier
decided to waive off. The petitions were filed before the company
had made the offer to pay the duty. The company stepped in only when a
controversy was raised on the issue by filing of the petitions in high
courts. Fiat had gifted the racing car valued nearly at Rs 1 crore
to Tendulkar as an appreciation of his service to the company as its
brand ambassador. |
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Harmison scalps 7 as West Indies skittled out for 47
Kingston (Jamaica), March 15 The Durham pacer swept away the home team’s batting with seven for 12 off 12.3 overs. The home team, trailing by 28 on first innings, reached just 47 all out in just under two hours at Sabina Park.
Previously, the West Indies’ lowest innings total was 51, scored in 1999 against Australia in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad. England captain Michael Vaughan hit the winning runs as England powered to its victory target of 20 without loss off just 2.3 overs. “We faltered with our bats,” West Indies captain Brian Lara said. “The English bowlers bowled well. But 47 is something you really can’t find a reason for.” Vaughan praised Man of the Match Harmison’s efforts, also crediting the visiting team’s overall performance. “This morning was all about Steve Harmison,” Vaughan said. “But the hard work was put in over the first three days.”
West Indies (1st Innings) 311 England (1st Innings) 339 West Indies (2nd Innings) Gayle c Thorpe
Smith c and b Hoggard 12 Sarwan lbw b Harmison 0 Chanderpaul b Harmison 0 Lara c Flintoff b Hoggard 0 Hinds c Read b Jones 3
Jacobs c Hussain
b Harmison 15 Best c Read b Harmison 0 Sanford c Trescothick
Collymore not out 2 Edwards c Trescothick
Extras (lb-4, nb-1) 5 Total
(all out,
Fall of wickets: 1-13, 2-13, 3-15, 4-16, 5-21, 6-41, 7-41, 8-43, 9-43. Bowling:
Hoggard 9-2-21-2, Harmison 12.3-8-12-7, Jones 4-1-10-1. England (2nd Innings) Trescothick not out 5 Vaughan not out 11 Extras
(b-1, lb-1, nb-2) 4 Total (for no loss,
Bowling: Best 1.3-0-7-0, Hinds 1-0-11-0.
— AFP |
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Mane, Kambli hit centuries
Mumbai, March 15 At stumps on the day two, Mumbai were comfortably placed at 389 for 3 in reply to Hyderabad’s first innings score of 186. Resuming at their overnight score of 84 for no loss, the hosts suffered an early setback when Wasim Jaffer was caught in the slips. Southpaw Kambli then joined Mane and together they steadied the innings playing cautiously but punishing the loose deliveries. In the process, Mane, who was 42 not out overnight, completed his first Ranji Trophy century amidst thunderous applause from the public and his teammates. — PTI
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Haryana
score 236
Pune, March 15 Haryana had made 236 in their first inning. The hosts thus gained 24-run first-innings lead and as expected would be gunning for an outright victory.
— UNI
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Hockey coach admits weaknesses in team
New Delhi, March 15 "It was overall a good performance in Madrid. But we have still certain grey areas which we need to work upon. The goalkeeping is required to be improved and we should regularly convert penalty corners. The defence has to be tightened up," he told reporters at the airport after the team's arrival from Madrid early today. India's fourth-place finish in the 12-nation tournament earned it a place in the Athens Olympics. The coach said the next few months would be crucial in preparing the team for the big event. "The next four to five months are going to be very very important. We would be working on our weaknesses and go to the Olympics even stronger," Rajinder said. He admitted that India played under tremendous pressure in the qualifiers which had its effect on the performance of the players. "We were under some pressure as we were there to qualify for the Olympics. It was really hard playing against certain teams who put in all their effort to qualify for the Olympics. It was as if they were not playing in the qualifiers but in the Olympics," he said. "After we qualified, we played much better hockey." Star striker Gagan Ajit Singh said things would be completely different when India play in the Olympics. "In the qualifiers, several teams went into the shell and it was very difficult to break their defence. On the other hand, there would not be much pressure in the Olympics since all the teams in the fray would be playing an open game," said Gagan Ajit, who scored six goals in Madrid, including three in two matches against arch rivals Pakistan. The striker also said India failed to combine well in the tournament. "But hopefully the combinations would work well in Athens as the players got valuable experience in Madrid." Veteran forward Baljit Singh Dhillon said weather also played a part in the competition as Asian teams struggled initially to come to terms with biting cold in the European country. "It was very very cold in Madrid and that had some effect on our performance in the initial part of the tournament. It was reflected in our game in the first match against Belgium which ended in a 1-1 draw," he said. — PTI
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Vintage veterans enthral, but the girls score a point New Delhi, March 15 The match was organised by the Federation of Indian Games to commemorate India’s 2-1 triumph over Pakistan in the final of the third World Cup Hockey Championship at the Merdeka Stadium in Kuala Lumpur. The men’s team was captained by Ajit Pal Singh, who was also the captain of India’s one and only World Cup triumph. The other players from that famous squad included Leslie Fernandez, Ashok Diwan, Michael Kindo, Aslam Sher Khan, B.P. Govinda, Ashok Kumar, Harinder Jit Singh Chimni and Harcharan Singh. Zafar Iqbal, S.S. Grewal, M.P. Ganesh, Inam-ur-Rehman, Merwin Fernandez, Vineet Kumar, BPE Kalia, M.K. Kaushik and M.R. Negi provided some element of ‘youth’ in the squad, though it was pleasant surprise to see one of the oldest hockey players, Group Captain R.S. Bhola, holding his own for over five minutes on the left wing, before ‘retiring’ to the bench. ‘Golden boy’ Balbir Singh Senior was the manager. The girls obviously put on a show that only young players are capable of displaying, but the aged men did not lag behind in scoring, as the goals by Grewal, Ashok Kumar, Merwin Fernandes and Zafar Iqbal were stunning, to put in perspective. The Indian women’s team, who at one stage trailed by one goal, at 2-3, after taking the lead at half time, could have scored many more goals, but M.R. Negi, manning the goal, effected many a good save. Negi, incidentally, is the goal-keeping coach of the women’s team, under national coach M.K. Kaushish, who too took the field for a brief while, and gave a good run to the girls. |
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Lachman
Singh wins races in sports
meet Patiala, March 15 The Chief General Manager, Mr P.K. Panda, inaugurated the meet. Mr Jitendera Kishore, who has been selected by the Table Tennis Federation of India in the Indian veterans team which wlll take part in the Asian championship slated to be held in Yokohama, took the oath. Prominent among those present on the occasion were Mr M.M. Sehgal, General Manager (Operations), Mr Pradeep Shanker, General Manager (Treasury), Mr S.L. Hariharan, GM (Technology) and Mr K.K. Sehgal, Secretary of the Central Sports Committee. Results: 100m (35 to 45 years): Lachman Singh-1; Sham Lal-2; Mohan Singh-3. 200m (35 to 45 years): Lachman Singh-1; Bhag Singh-2; Avtar Singh-3. TT (singles-up to 35 years): Gopal Batish-1; Bharat Bhushan-2; Harish Mehta-3. 100m (up to 35 years): Ashok Kumar-1; Joginder Singh-2; Anoop Kumar-3. 100m (women - up to 35 years) Seema Grover-1; Kamalpreet-2; Manju-3. 100m (above 45 years) Sher Singh-1;
B.R. Banotra-2; Ajit Singh-3. Shot put: (up to 35 years): Ramesh Kumar-1; Bharat Bhushan-2; Kashmir Singh-3. Long jump (up to 35 years): Ashok Kumar-1; Ramesh Kumar-2; Ashok Kumar-3.
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College
athletics meet begins Fatehgarh Sahib, March 15 Results:
Girls 100 m: Harpreet Kaur 1; Manoj Kaur 2 and Arshdeep 3. 200 m: Harpreet Kaur 1; Amandeep Kaur 2 and Manoj Kaur 3. Long jump:
Amandeep Kaur 1; Manoj Kaur 2 and Harpreet Kaur 3. Discuss throw:Jagdev Kaur 1; Amardeep Kaur 2 and Rajneet Kaur 3. Boys 200m:
Somraj Singh 1; Rupinder Singh 2 and Manjot Singh 3. 800 m: Vikasdeep 1; Harman Singh 2 and Gurpreet Singh 3. 5000
m: Davinder Singh 1; Harman Singh 2 and Narinder Singh 3. Discus throw :
Kulwinder Singh 1; Mandeep Kumar 2 and Rupinder Singh 3.
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New Delhi, March 15
